Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced “discriminatory” Western sanctions abetted by an unfair financial system as his country’s economy teeters on the brink of recession, wounded by trade restrictions and the cost of his war in Ukraine. Putin made the comments in an interview with China’s official Xinhua news agency published on Saturday, on the eve of his trip to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and attend a massive parade commemorating the end of World War II after Japan’s formal surrender. “It is essential to end the use of finance as an instrument of neo-colonialism, which runs counter...